Philosophy

We are real people making real food using natural meats raised with humane and environmentally safe practices.

Mission

Pederson’s Natural Farms is a group of real people making real food who collectively strive to uphold the same values of honesty, integrity, and good stewardship. We produce superior all natural and organic pork with uncompromised safety, quality, and efficiency. It is those core values and priorities that are the very heartbeat of our company.

Quality

Quality is built into the product, rather than inspected into the product.

Vision

Always produce superior natural and organic meat with uncompromised safety, quality, and efficiency. Food you can feel good about feeding your family.

TheAnimals

What is the Certified Humane Raised and Handled® program?

The Certified Humane Raised & Handled® program is the only farm animal welfare and food labeling program in the U.S. dedicated to improving the welfare of farm animals in food production and include all stages of the animal’s life including handling and slaughter. What do the standards require?

Animals must be free to move and not be confined – Cages, crates and tie stalls are prohibited. This means that chickens are able to flap their wings and dust bathe, and pigs have the space to move around and root;

Livestock have access to sufficient, clean, and nutritious feed and water;

They must have sufficient protection from weather elements and an environment that promotes well being;

Managers and caretakers must be thoroughly trained, skilled and competent in animal husbandry and welfare, and have good working knowledge of their system and the livestock in their care.

Farmers and Ranchers must comply with food safety and environmental regulations.

What are your pigs fed?

Our hogs are fed a balanced diet comprised of corn and soybeans with some added minerals and vitamins. All of our organic products are certified GMO Free.

Do we raise our own hogs? How are they raised?

Real food starts with real farmers. We work with self-sustaining family farms. Why? Because they’re good stewards of their land, and, like us, they feel the ethical and moral obligation to provide their pigs with a comfortable and stress-free life.

What do we mean when we say self-sustaining farms? We mean that our farmers are diversified. Not only do they raise pigs the good ol’ fashion way, but they also use natural fertilization, and they farm the grain used to feed those pigs. It allows for a higher quality, well monitored feed free of animal by-products that mimics what a pig would naturally eat.

We work only with farms that allow pigs to act naturally and instinctually. They are housed in deeply bedded open pens. Their living quarters are temperature controlled with outdoor access.

We insist our pigs grow at a natural rate. With no growth promotants, hormones, steroids or antibiotics, our pigs grow slower than those at industrial “farms.” We’re quite alright with that because we’re doing our part to control super bugs, and it produces the best tasting pork we’ve ever eaten.

Our farmers have been a part of their local communities for generations. They shop, bank, and cultivate relationships with local businesses. By buying our pork, you are creating and supporting sustainable rural communities.

Pork Sausage

HEATING SUGGESTION: Heat sausages until the internal temperature registers 165°F on a meat thermometer or until sausages are steaming hot. Cooking times are estimates and may vary slightly.

GRILL: Grilling adds great taste to these sausages. Just fire up the grill. Make sure you start with a good, even, medium heat. Grill sausages over medium heat 12 to 15 minutes, turning sausages frequently to brown evenly. Enjoy with your favorite side dishes and beverage.

MICROWAVE: Place sausages on a microwave safe plate and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on high (100%) power 45 to 60 seconds for 1 sausage, 2 ½ to 3 minutes for 3 sausages, or 5 to 6 minutes for the entire package, rearranging sausages midway through cooking. Exact cooking times will vary with the microwave oven.

SAUCEPAN: You’ll love the natural moist flavor of these sausages when you use steam to heat them. Place about 1 inch of water in a 3-quart saucepan. Place a perforated, collapsible steamer in the saucepan, cover and heat to boiling. Add sausages, cover and steam 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand 10 minutes.

Bacon

Broil and pan fry in the conventional manner.

Microwave: Place sliced bacon between paper towels in a baking dish. Cook approximately one minute per slice.

Are your products casein free?

Casein is a protein found in milk & cheese. The only products we make that contains casein is the Feta Cheese & Spinach Chicken sausage and the Jalapeno Cheese Rope Sausage. All the rest are casein free.

Are your products gluten free?

Gluten comes from small grains like wheat, barley & rye. We do not use any of these ingredients in any of our products.

Why are you using pomegranate extracts, citrus extracts, and rosemary extracts in your products?

Pomegranate, rosemary, and a citrus (lemon, lime, and orange) are used in our bacon formulation. This process has been deemed minimally processed and meets all standards necessary to be a natural labeled product. A milling process is used to “extract” (essentially mash up) the natural juices, pulp, and fiber from the pomegranate, rosemary, or citrus. For illustrative purposes, it’s a lot like making orange juice. When we mash up an orange, we are “extracting” the liquid from the whole orange and calling it orange juice.

We have opted to move towards replacing celery powder with extracts because the celery powder used in bacon is a naturally occurring sodium nitrite, however it is still sodium nitrite. The bacon containing pomegranate, rosemary, and citrus does not add sodium nitrite, so it’s a truly sodium nitrite free (synthetic or naturally occurring) product. Additionally, you get all of the benefits of the natural antioxidants known to be present in pomegranate and rosemary.

With that said, this is why we have made the switch to what we think is a more healthy, natural choice for our consumers.

The Process

What kind of quality and food safety standards do you uphold?

Making safe and quality foods is the responsibility of each Pederson’s Natural Farms employee. Our management team’s objective is to “build” quality and safe all natural meat products!

Our process starts by carefully selecting only the highest quality raw materials and ingredients. Each partner is trained to understand the principles of Food Safety (HACCP) and Quality Assurance. While we adhere to all regulatory required standards and regulations, we go above and beyond that which allows us to truly “build” quality into the product at every manufacturing step. Many times, with other producers, the level of quality and food safety is only evaluated upon inspection of products after they are produced; our goal is to “build” it right, at every turn, every time.

The result: our customers can consistently expect superior quality and safe and wholesome foods to serve their families! We look at every point in our processing procedures evaluating the ingredients for freshness, safety, taste, nutritive value and appearance. Every employee understands and believes they are a vital part of building quality into the foods we sell.

With top priorities being safety and quality, Pederson’s has taken every rigorous step to become Safe Quality Food (SQF) 2000 Level 3 Certified.

“Striving to be SQF 2000 Level 3 Certified was a no brainer. That certification aligns with everything we value: safety and the highest quality standards. We’re of the belief that actions speak louder than words. We can make claims all day long, but this certification brings the highest level of validation.” – Cody Lane, President

Interested in becoming a retail partner? Have a question or concern to submit? We’d love to hear from you!